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Jurassic Quest is the ultimate stop for the dinosaur lovers in your life.

Dinosaurs have been my son’s obsession since before he could talk. Even from a young age, he’s always been VERY into learning and identifying their names.

So last year, when I heard about Jurassic Quest, an event filled with animatronic dinosaurs and lots of fun activities for kids, I knew we HAD to go.

This year I’d been stalking their website when FINALLY, they released the dates they’d be here in Springfield, IL. And this year I was lucky enough to work with their marketing team to have them sponsor this post. However, their sponsorship does not impact my thoughts or feelings toward Jurassic Quest.

What Is Jurassic Quest?

Jurassic Quest is as close to the dinos as you’ll ever get (barring time travel, but let’s be real – you probably wouldn’t want to see a T-Rex in the flesh…)

They have true-to-life size dinosaurs, ranging from the small Compsognathus – Remember Jurassic Park 2? They were the ones who attacked in the beginning… – to GIGANTIC dinosaurs that you’ll almost certainly see from the parking lot. They have over 100 dinosaurs that truly couldn’t look more real. Even as an adult who’s never really been all that into dinosaurs, Jurassic Quest is a thing of beauty.

Not only that, but they have so many fun interactive events, including BABY dinosaurs. Oh my goodness, these things are absolutely adorable (even when they try to steal your child’s paci!)

How Much Does Jurassic Quest Cost?

Okay, my thrifty friends, here’s where you might get a tiny bit of sticker shock…I know I did when I first saw the prices.

A child’s VIP ticket is $34; a regular one is $20 (which is also what the adult tickets cost). So for a family of four, you’re looking at spending around $110 + taxes and fees.

Now I know that seems like a lot of money, but trust me when I say it’s worth it. You need to go ahead and invest the extra $14/child in the VIP because otherwise, you’ll end up either A) missing out on a lot of fun or B) having to fork out the money for said fun at the event and end up spending more than you would have otherwise.

This is one of those events where you must evaluate the ROI regarding family fun. Yes, $110+ is a lot of money, but you can spend an entire day there, and goodness knows you can’t put a price on happy children needing an earlier bedtime. Not to mention, you’d probably spend 6x that spending a day at Disney World or the like.

Jurassic Quest Review

What Activities Does Jurassic Quest Have?

The activities are what factor into deciding whether or not to invest in the VIP tickets. The regular tickets ($20/child) include the exhibit and the arts/craft station. The VIP includes unlimited dinosaur rides, fossil digs, dino scooters, bounce houses, bungee pull, and everything at Jurassic Park – save for face painting, souvenirs, and candy. Each of these things on their own without VIP is $5/each.

Allow me to show you in pictures all the fun things we had going on:

 

Review of Jurassic Quest Gift Shop

Now just like any other amusement park or the like, Jurassic Quest does have a gift shop… a HUGE gift shop that is pretty much impossible for your kids to miss. Luckily, most things are reasonably priced… save for the Good Dinosaur DVDS; I kinda had to laugh at that one…

In 2017, we bought a huge dino playset with a playmat that my child still uses well over a year later. This year, each child wanted another playset, but they were very reasonably priced at about $20 each.

While Jurassic Quest can seem a bit pricey, it truly is fun for the whole family and something I wholeheartedly recommend checking out the next time they’re in your area. Let’s face it, these days, you can’t even go to the movie theater as a family without spending $60+; why not pay a bit more to have an experience that your children will remember for years to come?

Have You Ever Been to Jurassic Quest?

I’d love for you to comment below and tell me what you most enjoyed there!

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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / oekka.k